Yerba Buena Cove

The shoreline of Yerba Buena Cove once curved inland to Montgomery Street, where ships abandoned by their crews during the eighteen forty-nine gold rush sat rotting in the mud. Merchants eventually sank these vessels to create new land, building warehouses and storefronts directly over the sunken hulls. Today, the remains of the ship Rome lie buried beneath a parking lot near Sansome Street. Builders often uncover old timber and iron spikes when they dig foundations in this part of the city.